Previously in Spoils of War: The investigation with Simran is put on pause during the Makai tournament. Hiei's interest in Simran, though conflicted, grows. Yusuke, Kaneko, Yukina, and Sakura are spectating the Makai Tournament. Shana and Ryuji got into a nasty argument over Shura's date proposition and Shana went out Shura anyway. Boton made an appearance at the end of Kurama's fight against #1717 where he lost. Now Hiei is prepped and ready to fight the mysterious contestant #1717.

Chapter 40: A Dance with Dragons

Hiei watched the sun rise from the tree tops of the Manju. He typically did not travel to heights of this extent but he wish he had; this was the most incredible view of the Makai he had ever seen. He could see the land stretching endlessly, the peaks, falls, and valleys creating an incredible landscape that seemed too picturesque to be real. The view reminded him of layered beauty and mystique of the sunrises and sunsets in the human world. In the Makai, the sun rose and set uneventfully, hidden by the everlasting stormy clouds. Some days were brighter than others, but not today. Today was cloudy and Hiei could taste the heaviness of the incoming rain storm.

He enjoyed the view regardless of the impending weather. The Makai seemed tranquil but he knew better. The land was wild, sorting chaos and order at the same time. This was the land he ruled and protected. This was the home of his family and their families to come. With this fight, he was going to take back this land and continue to mold and shape the chaos and order for them.

Hiei felt her presence on the Manju but he stayed, staring off into the horizon for just a moment longer. Then he moved quietly amongst the treetops her growing aura enveloping him as he moved closer. It seemed unreal, feeling the unique vibrations of her essence surrounding him once more. The familiarity of it made him pause before entering the clearing and he decided to linger in the trees.

She stood in the clearing, the badge 1717 pinned to her black cloak and he could see the outline of the claymore strapped to her back from underneath the fabric. The hood on her cloak was up and her black mask in place, hiding her face. She was slowly looking around at her surroundings and he wondered if she was looking for him. Hiei cloaked his presence well, so he doubted she could pinpoint his location exactly but she should be considerably stronger. After all, over 150 years had passed…

The referee, Juri, arrived on the floating platform to speak with her. She pointed in the direction of the forest, no doubt mentioning that she saw him earlier. The dark, blank face looked up in his direction, but not at him directly. She tuned back to Juri and after a brief conversation her gloved hands pulled the hood down and removed her cloak.

Hiei's breath stopped.

Mîrvana, Warrior Queen of Alyatavar and former Queen of the Makai stood in the clearing. Breathing. Living. Only a few feet away.

Hiei gripped the bark of the tree tightly as he absorbed her image. She stood tall and proud as always, but with an air of maturity she did not possess before. Her head held high, her visage was angular and slender but he thought he could see a faded scar across her right cheek. He remembered how her long, white tresses used to flow in the wind, but now they were pulled back tightly, woven in multiple braids pinned up on the back of her head. Across her forehead was a circlet made of silver and gold, styled as a vine with leaves, with small previous stones embedded into the woven gaps between vines. In her ears were small gold and silver studs to match the circlet.

Her clothing and medium armor was all black, an unusual choice for her. Gold thread accented her black leather armor and the thicker golden outline of a tree, the symbol of her people, bared proudly on her chest armor. Her body filled out the clothing more so than he remembered. She was less slender and more muscular than before; the product of years of honing her strength as a warrior. He watched her with fascination as she removed the holster straps crossing her body, guided the scabbard around, and pulled out Víraserce with a ring. Such fluidity- no- grace made Hiei even more anxious to test his skills against her. Mîrvana knew that her claymore would put her at a disadvantage against him, but Hiei noted the short swords attached to either side of her hips, and let his gaze linger for an extra moment.

Hiei relaxed his grip on the tree and ran a hand over the black tunic Yukina brought for him, smoothing over the wrinkles over the golden dragon snaking up his chest. Hiei smirked. It was time.

The former King jumped down into the clearing and landed cleanly in front of her. She turned towards him slowly and he fell under her stoic and cold lavender gaze. But he knew her cold gaze was temporary; give it a moment and those eyes would be ignited with a relentless fire that would inevitably enrapture him. Just thinking about it made him excited with anticipation. He held Mîrvana's gaze firmly as she brought her beloved claymore in front of her and ceremoniously stood behind it, her gloved hands resting comfortably on top of the hilt. He knew all it took was a second for her to switch grips and swing the heavy sword around, but he was out of her reach. Instead, she would likely propel herself towards him unless she had a completely new trick up her sleeve.

What surprises was she going to unveil for him? What would her relentless pursuit of perfection in combat show him? With Koku, Hiei always had the advantage, but Mîrvana trained all her life to sing the dragon's Song. Did she have the power to take on the dragon head on successfully?

There was only one way to find out.

Hiei drew Heiwa and Ai simultaneously and thrust Ai into the ground. He took Heiwa in his main hand and held it lightly next to him.

The gloved fingers curled around the sword's hilt and her eyes narrowed.

He watched her patiently, waiting for her foot to shift or her wrists to turn. But her body was a statue, unmoving like the Manju Tree itself.

He contemplated moving first, perhaps that was her ploy all along. Just as he began to think of which angle to approach her from, he saw the sign: Her head cocked to the side, her flush lips pulled upward into a smirk more sinister and prideful than he remembered, and her eyes burst into life.

That was the only glimpse he got before she launched herself towards him.

Víraserce came down upon him in full force, but she was too slow. He dodged easily and the heavy sword came down smashing into the ground. Hiei swung at her but she jumped, keeping her hand on the hilt of the sword as she smoothly jumped over her sword upside down, pulling out in the process and using the blade as a shield against Hiei's second swing at her.

He disappeared and reappeared behind her, bringing Heiwa down on her from above. She jumped backwards and he followed her. His swings missed every time but he changed his angles, a little to the right and a bit to the left keeping control of the combat. He missed her torso but she jumped backwards and skidded to a halt, the thick tree line behind her. In the trees she would be at a major disadvantage; it was easier to fight him in the clearing with her long swing than in the trees where he had cover.

Her hands gripped the hilt of her sword and she charged at him. He jumped into the air and fell behind her but she swiveled around, too smart to be attacked from behind. The sword came with her and with the momentum of her pivot, the sword came at him fast. He leaned back, used his arm to brace his fall and sprang backward, landing against the trees. He moved again, away from the trees and blitzed her, attacking from all sides and keeping her on the defensive. He was sure he got in a few scrapes and scratches on her but it was not enough to make her pause. But her fault was that he was short, fast, and his sword was quicker. There it was- his opening. He ducked underneath a swing and shot upward. She dodged his attack but at the price of loosing her sword.

He heard her swear as she moved away but he could not let her get her bearings back. He aggressively moved around her, slicing downward, upward, diagonal, and sideways from any angle. But now he was at the disadvantage. Without her sword, she was just as fast as he was. He knew he was going to lose his sword the second before it happened. He did not miss a beat as she knocked him downward out of the air, Heiwa spiraling out of his hand. He was just able to grab her ankle and force her down ahead of him into the ground.

He got up just in time to dodge her fist colliding with his head. As soon as he regained balance, he shot at her. She deflected his blow with her arm and her knee made contact with his stomach. Hiei gasped for air as he was knocked back. He looked up to see her charging at him. He swallowed and ran at her low. He tripped her and as she fell she grasped for something to latch onto. Instead, her nails razed his chest. He kicked her but she grabbed his leg and he too fell to the ground. His fall wasn't hard but it was enough time for her to get back on her feet. She swung her fist at him and he ducked for a moment before hitting her in the gut. She gasped and stumbled backwards. He took the opportunity and lunged for her and her eyes shot up at him, wide. He pounced, and his fingers wrapped around her neck as her body fell backwards. When she hit the ground he had her pinned but the match was far from over.

He stared through her gloved hand to her hard eyes. The hand in his face, the threat of her magic, and his hand around her throat, the threat of crushing her, was the signal to the end of their warm up. Or was it? There was once a time when the stalemate led to another pleasurable game, where the adrenaline rush coursing though him was sated in only a way that could be given by her.

The world seemed to dissolve around him as his hand unwillingly traveled from her neck to the soft skin of her face. The hand in font of him dropped slightly as his fingers trailed across the open wound on her cheek, smearing silver blood on her pale skin. Her eyes were changing, the resolve behind them melting away to something else. His voice caught in his throat but then he felt her gloved hand on his cheek. Instincts took over and his hand slipped behind her head as he leaned towards her. This was the way their fights always ended. This was-

Suddenly, he was ripped from her as his body was flung backwards. He landed roughly on his side and pain ebbed at him as he wearily stood. She pulled herself to her feet as well but her softened eyes were gone, replaced with the guarded wall that was there before. He was vaguely aware of the rain on his face as he watched her closely but without warning, something slammed into him and sent him flying.

This time he was able to land cleanly but then another invisible blow, cold and airy, hit his back and he flew head first into the ground. Groaning he pulled himself up and managed to focus his vision on her walking towards him slowly. She made no effort to reclaim her sword and he barely made out the flick of her wrist before the invisible force slammed into him again.

Snarling, Hiei twisted and landed on his feet, only to quickly blitz from one spot to another. She stopped walking and he watched her attempt to try and follow his movements. Then, she held up her palm and the rain began to swirl together to form an orb. Before Hiei could contemplate what she was doing, bullet-like water droplets scattered with force. One hit him in the shoulder and knocked him out of his trajectory. There was no time to pause as the the bullets shifted direction towards him.

Hiei raced around her for the woods. He rushed up into the thicket and he heard the bullets slam into the tree line. He kept running. Going deeper into the treetop seemed to lose her for at least a few moments to catch his breath. What was the invisible force? Her primary combat magic was out of the pure elements, fire being her favorite. But with the rain- Hiei snapped into realization. That wasn't an invisible force, it was the wind! What she did with the rain was water magic, a kind she didn't prefer over the other three but trying to generate a fire strong enough to hurt him in the pouring rain was pointless.

More importantly, she didn't have to say the spell, but she did have to make hand movements to control the magic. That was a clever, crafty trick.

Fortunately, Hiei had some of his own.

He took the bandanna covering his Jagan off and his third eye opened. He knew she would know if he tried to pinpoint her directly, but he could feel her magic oozing from her like a beacon. She was in the forest, cautiously making her way through. He quietly made his way around to flank her and he spotted her quickly, pushing strands of white out of her eyes with a short sword in hand. He activated his Jagan and she turned, pure shock on her pale visage, but it was too late. His telekinetic energy immobilized her and slammed her against a tree, sending the outer layer of bark flying. He traveled from one branch to another causally, enjoying the way she writhed under his power. He saw the sword was still in her hand and he pried her fingers open and brought the sword to him.

The sword was a little heavier than he was used to, but it didn't matter. He stared at her for a moment before flinging her into another tree. Then another and another. Hiei wasn't an idiot. Mîrvana wouldn't consciously concede defeat, neither would he, and she had more endurance and stamina than a quick glance gave her credit for. He needed to wear her down.

Still, he mused as he slammed her into the first tree again, her stubbornness and her unrelenting pride was one of her defining characteristics, and he cared for her because of it. That and her-

Hiei was yanked out of his thoughts as something wrapped around his ankle and snapped him up, hanging him upside down. The sudden force cause him to loose concentration, and he heard her cry out as she was released from the power of his Jagan. Shit, he didn't think her earth magic was strong enough to do something like this. He should have watched the fight with Kurama! Hiei expanded a burst of demon fire, burning the vine around his ankle. He fell but caught himself on a branch. He quickly began to search for her and she was closing in on him fast. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the vines begin to stir and he needed to make a decision quickly- what gave him the best advantage? The clearing or the trees?

Hiei ran, darting from limb to limb staying ahead of the vines grasping at his heels. He took a large leap into the clearing and faced the tree line behind him. No sooner than he turned to look, she emerged from the trees and charged straight for him. Hiei avoided another blast of water and jumped backwards. She was closing in on him fast and he was tired of playing games. Hiei summoned the demon fire, raised his arm and released Koku's ethereal form.

Mîrvana came to a dead stop, her eyes wide in shock only for a moment. Then, her lavender eyes narrowed and her lips turned downward into a snarl. With only her hand, she swiped across the dragon's muzzle and the form unraveled.

"How dare you." She demanded. Her voice, low and full washed over him like music. He almost gave into the nostalgia of the musicality of her voice but then she repeated herself again. "How dare you!" The fury in her tone and blazing lavender eyes brought him back to reality.

Hiei looked at his hand and then at back her. He expected her strength to rise, but she was able to swat away this power like it was nothing more than a spider. If she did use her dragon song, he didn't hear it or feel it. But there she was, staring at him with her fists curled and demanding eyes unscathed and furious. Why was she so angry with him? Did she really expect him to unleash Koku on her? There was no way she could stand against Koku's power… unless she could. Unless her power grew that much that she could withstand the dragon at full power.

Mîrvana was tired of waiting as she charged at him and Hiei released Koku. His dragon's song rang inside him as she loosely coiled her long, thick body around him and lowered her muzzle next to Hiei. Mîrvana skidded to a stop, nearly falling as she tried to halt herself, and started running in the opposite direction. Koku shot out after her and circled around her slamming her tail into the ground, blocking her path.

But the elf was much more reactive than Hiei gave her credit for. She merely jumped over Koku and began to glow, singing the dragon song. When she was living with him, they typically didn't spar with Koku once she gained a physical form; Mîrvana preferred to play with metal weapons. He wasn't sure what to expect in how Mîrvana would handle Koku. He knew that Koku was stronger, but she had years of experience being around dragons and if he knew her as well as he thought he did, there was no way she came into this fight unprepared.

Sure enough, Koku lunged out at her again but she rolled and dodged the attack. Koku swiveled and attacked her again but Mîrvana merely dodged her. Hiei watched them, concern growing within him as each time Koku attacked and Mîrvana dodged. She looked confident, and the more he watched the more he realized she was waiting for something. The dragon was playing her game, not the other way around.

Frustrated, Koku let out a loud roar, shooting fire into the air. Mîrvana stopped and began taunting the dragon, but what she was saying he couldn't hear. Whatever it was, it was enough to enrage Koku and she let out another fire breathing blast at the elf. There was a loud crack and boom of lightning and thunder as the storm waged on, but Hiei didn't remember it being as prominent before. A shell of light surrounded Mîrvana as she formed a barrier around herself to shield from the fire blast. Koku dove again towards her and a bright flash of light flooded his vision before he heard the second crack of lightning.

Hiei did not have a good feeling. He excitement of the fight was wearing off as his concern over what exactly Mîrvana had up her sleeve was coming to fruition. "To me," he commanded Koku, but his dragon frantically responded "I can't there's-"

Hiei's vision came back into focus just as Mîrvana's fist rammed into his gut. The full force caused him to buckle over and shocks ran over his body. He tried to move when he hit the ground, but his body remained paralyzed. She kicked him and he flew, helpless and defenseless. In the distance, he thought he heard a dragon screech. He had to get up. He wasn't going down like this, damnit. He was going to get up and make her regret challenging him.

Hiei called the demon fire and mixed with his youki, he began to feel his muscles loosen. He stood slowly and let the fire and youki mix and run through him, just as he did the first time he summoned Koku over a century ago. This time, he was not taken by surprise. He caught Mîrvana's fist, aimed again for his lower gut. He was going to respond with a punch of his own, but her altered appearance caused him to stop in shock. Mîrvana didn't waste the opportunity and swung at him again but Hiei dodged and pulled away from her. Koku finally circled around back to him, and he just realized the screech wasn't from Koku.

Another loud crack rang out, but this time the lightning didn't flash or disappear. Mîrvana stood in the clearing with her arm raised to the sky. Her whole body glowed an eerie blue, the force snapping and crackling around her and as she pulled her outstretched arm back towards her, Hiei knew what it was.

"A creation of wind and water that burns like fire and yearns for the earth. It is the only element I cannot contain. I don't know if I ever will."

Bullshit. She was way too much of an overachiever to let her elemental mastery stop at short of the one real challenge: lightning. For a moment, he was proud of her. She overcame a large, complicated obstacle and mastered a difficult element, one she thought was out of reach. This fight was about showing off and so far, he was impressed.

But only for a moment. Because after that moment, another dragon came swooping down out of the sky and let out a loud piercing screech.

Shit.

The dragon wasn't large, like the fire breathing Fealoce, or long and full bodied like Koku. Instead it was small and Hiei thought it looked like a purple lizard with wings. But it was still a dragon. She had a dragon. How was this possible? She couldn't rule with a dragon she said so herself, she said-

His frantic thoughts cut off as Koku suddenly wrapped her tail around him and shot into the air. Wide eyed, he stared at the elf standing in his previous location, scowling up at them. Koku swerved erratically as the other dragon charged up towards her and Hiei slipped from her grip. He anticipated the landing and rolled as he hit the ground.

He saw Mîrvana charging at him and he steadied himself. He felt Koku's song within him and surrounded himself in Koku's hellfire, just in time to dodge her charged punch. He ducked under her but she swerved quickly and out of his reach. Hiei ran towards her, fist raised but she grounded herself and blocked the punch while bringing her knee into his gut.

Hiei buckled over and he wheezed trying to breathe. He let out a cry as her foot kicked him in the ribs, sending him flying a few feet. He tried to push himself up but there she was, towing over him, her lavender eyes cold and uncaring and she kicked him again. Hiei landed on his back, pain coursing through him as he coughed up blood. Damnit, he was not going down like this! Mustering his strength with a rallying cry he shot upward and in a blink darted around behind her to deliver a blow.

But Mîrvana simply stepped out of the way, as if she saw him run the entire way. Time seemed to slow as she turned and struck him across the face with her back hand, sending him to the ground twitching from electrical shock. She looked down at him, her eyes piercing into him. He tried to move but he was barely able to move his body.

Hiei didn't understand. He was with Koku longer and her song was still running through him. Usually he was unstoppable, a wall of unyielding force. Mîrvana wasn't exploiting any elven trick for getting around the dragon, she was simply stronger than he was, but that was impossible.

Hiei waited for her to hit him again, hearing the screeching and roars of the dragons battling each other in the sky. But she simply continued staring down at him, the blue electricity cackling around her. Her eyes stared coldly down at him- no they were simply guarded. Of all the things he remembered about her, of all the things that haunted him throughout the years it was her eyes. He felt the old ache within him and suddenly he wished they hadn't reunited like this. He didn't mind testing each other's strengths to the limit, but seeing her eyes for the first time in so long stare down at him like he was pathetic and weak made his insides turn.

She placed a hand on her hip, singing her dragon's song and he gave her a hard stare. When they were together, he wasn't able to understand her song before, but now, her words came across clearly, if he focused.

"And if I catch it comin' back my way, I'm gonna serve it to you,

That ain't what you you want to hear, But that's what I'll do,

And the feeling coming from my bones says 'Find a Home!'"

Her voice continued but his mind stopped. The look in her eyes shifted and he recognized the look as one she gaze many other beings, those she considered to be trivial. She was bored. But if she was bored then she was waiting. What was she waiting for? Mîrvana was singing her song and Koku was singing her song and-

If Hiei wasn't paralyzed, he would have scowled. Of course that was the key difference and he was an idiot for not understanding it sooner. He closed his eyes and tried to block everything out but Koku's voice and he found himself at the pier on the lake, surrounded by his darkness. Koku's black kimono looked tattered but she sat on the edge of pier, her red eyes closed singing strongly. Hiei walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. She stopped singing and her red eyes looked up at him. He took a deep breath and said quietly,

"But I will hold on hope, and I won't let you choke, on the noose around your neck,

And I'll find strength in pain, and I will change my ways,

I'll know my name as it's called again."

He felt a power rush within him, as though he finally broke through a window and a gust of air rushed into the room. The Song vibrated through him and he felt a calming sensation, feeling and understanding the meaning of his Song deep within him. He looked over at Koku and she looked revitalized, and her red and gold kimono was new and bright. He smirked at her and she grinned, baring fangs back at him.

Hiei eyes snapped open and he heard Mîrvana gasp as he jumped to his feet, no longer constrained by the electricity. Before she could move, he shot a large surge of demon fire at her, causing her to fly backwards, her piercing shriek ringing in his ears. Hiei smirked. He darted up to her and brought his fist down, but she rolled and quickly pulled herself up to her feet.

With a crack, she vanished in front of him and reappeared a distance away from him. The other dragon let out a screech before diving out of the sky and landing next to her. The blue glow around her began to grow and Hiei smirked. So, it was time to end this. Hiei didn't usually prefer to end fights this way, this was more Yusuke's style, but for this fight it was fitting.

Koku circled around him and he gathered his energy, swirling it around him. This would be the final test, the last stand. He was more powerful than her, he could feel it and she knew it. His energy coursed around him, he flames wildly hissing and snapping around him. Lightning cracked and as soon as the blot connected with her, he unleashed his energy towards her. Hiei felt her push against him, her magic creeping towards him. He growled and focused on his Song, Koku, and above all else, making sure she didn't get the best of him. He wasn't going to let her enter his home, show up with a dragon, and upstage him!

Koku let out a roar and Hiei gritted his teeth as he forced out one last burst of energy. Hiei felt the power leave him, there was a blinding light, and then: darkness.

Mira's back! And I'm back! I know the delay was reeeealy long and I don't know when I'll update again considering I haven't written the next chapter yet, but I promise I will not abandon this story. That's the only thing I can guarantee. If you review, let me know what you thought of the fight sequence; I always feel fight scenes are my weakness as a writer. Thank you for anyone still reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing this story.

Hiei's Song: "The Cave" by Mumford and Sons

Mîrvana's Song: "Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes